Happy Pitchers & Catchers Day!
So, it's the unofficial start of spring. Pitchers and catchers report today, get their physicals, and pretty much start the hell that is training camp. I'd bet, though, that NFL training is just a bit tougher.
With the major roster changes pretty much already made, the battles for roster spots will be few and far between. The rotation is pretty well set, and I don't see any opening for Baek or Woods, barring, of course (and, knock on wood), injury. The bullpen may have a spot or two. The bench may have a spot.
I'm not really sure what to expect out of spring training. George's spot is pretty well secure, even if Rhodes shows he can still pitch. I don't foresee any threat there. I guess the interesting thing will be to see if Vidro can still hit, if Guillen can throw from RF, and to see what Ho-Ram pitches like. With Weaver being our new Mechian head case, it'll also be interesting to see how he pitches with Seattle -- but moreso during the actual season, not so much during spring training.
I've been much more excited for baseball than I am this season. Now, well, not so much. Am I alone here?
posted by PositivePaul @ 9:38 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
HoRam should be interesting, since I've had to sit and watch him in a Braves uniform. As long as he stays away from his cutter, or Tater Ball as I like to call it, he could be an innnings eater.
I'm still fired up - it's baseball Paul - a good thing!!
You're not alone, Paul. I feel like it's already the end of a really cold August and we're 35 games out of first.
Still, it's baseball. Once I get out to some games, the excitement will return.
Happy P&C Day, all!
I'm still fired up - it's baseball Paul - a good thing!!
And then there's Terrence -- the eternal optimist -- to come in and fire us up. Love it!
And over lunch, my coworker bragging about his upcoming RV trek down to Peoria, and getting to experience live baseball much sooner than I am able to...
Is it sad that I'm actually longing more for $1 hot dog night at Cheney moreso than Opening Day at Safeco? Maybe that's the artist in me. Something about the experience of baseball in a more pure form, where the win/loss column is a little less important than the actual game experience of that day. Eating a mustard-ketchup-and-onions-laden hot dog (that you don't have to spend your life's savings on) in the open air of a ballpark, while having one-sided conversations with umpires...
Maybe a good dose of "The Natural" will get me going again. It's definitely that time. But it's certainly amazing how much enjoyment has been sucked out of me by the M's front office. Which is really sort of a shame.
I do have the feeling that this year will be different. There's certainly been a lot of change to the roster, especially in the rotation, so that'll be interesting to follow. I'm just not very hopeful...
I don't get it. Spring training started two weeks ago. :)
Nah, you're not alone. But I'm sure once I step foot inside Cheney I'll be back in the spirit. It's hard to imagine right now, as I trudge to work in the rain each day.
Though I do hate the thought of seeing Cha-Seung pitching there. I would have liked to have seen him get a real shot. I tire of the Ms not giving their own a chance while they think the same damn thing from another org is better.
Marc: I thought of you last weekend, while I was in PDX at the Neko Case/Merle Haggard concert. Wondered if you caught the show in Seattle. She was great. I'm not so much about Merle though...
ORF -
No, I actually skipped this one!
I'm not really into seeing shows at the Paramount; it's just too big.
I've had a blast at some of her larger outdoor shows, but I just couldn't do the Paramount one... besides, I was going to see a concert on Monday the 12th, and I didn't want two late nights in a row during the work week. Ugh. I'm getting old, or something.
To respond to Paul's question, I'm actually looking forward to baseball season more than I have in a while. It's not that I think the M's are going to win the pennant; it's more anticipation for Cheney, for seeing some of the m's youngsters improve, and just reveling in the sensory overload that is baseball season. Yes, it helps that the football season was a bit of a disappointment, and that the English football season has been an unending series of kicks to my nuts, so the thought of watching a .500 M's team sounds like heaven.
I think M's management is crappy, and I hope that the M's clean house soon. But I can't wait to see games every day, or just to listen to games on the radio. Perhaps it helps that we all have such middling expectations: this team could finish last again and no one would really be shocked (and hey, the core of the team would still be promising as hell), they could finish a 'boring' .500 and everyone would get to say 'i told you so' AND get to see tangible improvement, or the team could compete and we'd get this unexpected bonus. If this sounds like a fan who doesn't really care anymore if the M's are an elite franchise well, yeah - that's what 3 years of losing and a snelling trade or two will do to a guy.
But however this season turns out, I just can't wait to see it play out. I miss baseball.
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